Friday marks the deadline for teams to make decisions on the fifth-year options for the 2023 draft class.
Fifth-year options are reserved only for first-round picks and tack an extra year onto the standard four-year rookie contract. Teams must decide on a player’s option after their third season. The fifth-year option salary is fully guaranteed, and any base salary in the player’s fourth year that was not fully guaranteed also becomes guaranteed. The figure differs for each player because it is calculated based on a few factors: position, playing time, whether the player has been selected to one Pro Bowl, and whether the player has been selected to multiple Pro Bowls. Just because a player isn’t with the team that originally drafted him doesn’t necessarily disqualify him from the fifth-year option; players who were traded or claimed off waivers still carry that designation for the new team they’re on.
There were 31 first-round selections in the 2023 NFL Draft because the Miami Dolphins, who would have picked at No. 20, had to forfeit their selection for violations of the league’s anti-tampering policy.
Values are based on the projected price of the option via Over the Cap.
Long-term extensionsWill Anderson Jr., DE, Houston Texans
Pick: 3 | 2027 option: $21.5 million
Anderson kicked off his NFL career by winning Defensive Rookie of the Year and has improved in each of his first three years. In 2025, Anderson set career-highs in tackles, sacks, forced fumbles and fumble recoveries. The Texans gave him a record-setting contract extension in April, making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history. His fifth-year option would’ve been worth $21.5 million, but instead, he signed for $50 million AAV.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
Pick: 20 | 2027 option: $23.9 million
Extending Smith-Njigba was a no-brainer for the Seahawks, whose 2027 option salary would’ve been $23.9 million. The 24-year-old star receiver, who is now the highest-paid wide receiver in the NFL, was the league’s leading receiver with 1,793 yards. Smith-Njigba had 119 receptions and 10 touchdowns last season, earning first-team All-Pro honors and NFL Offensive Player of the Year as Seattle won the Super Bowl.
Fifth-year option exercisedBryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
Pick: 1 | 2027 option: $25.9 million
Young got off to a rough start as a rookie and got benched early in his sophomore season. However, he finished the 2024 season strong, giving the Panthers hope for the future. Even though the Panthers crawled into the playoffs last season, Young’s performance throughout the season was uneven. The fifth-year option gives the Panthers more opportunity to see what Young can do before handing out a long-term extension.
C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
Pick: 2 | 2027 option: $25.9 million
Stroud got off to a fast start, winning Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2023 and leading the Texans to the second round of the playoffs. However, his play has been inconsistent the previous two years, and he’s coming off a season in which he wasn’t able to provide a spark to complement Houston’s elite defense in the playoffs.
Devon Witherspoon, CB, Seattle Seahawks
Pick: 5 | 2027 option: $21.2 million
Witherspoon has been everything the Seahawks could have hoped for when they invested a top-five pick in him. He’s been selected to the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and is coming off a 2025 campaign in which he received second-team All-Pro honors while being a key piece to the Seahawks’ championship.
Paris Johnson Jr., OT, Arizona Cardinals
Pick: 6 | 2027 option: $19.1 million
Johnson started every game for the Cardinals at right tackle as a rookie. In 2024, Arizona switched him to the left side, and he’s been an anchor on the offensive line. He has missed a handful of games in each of the last two seasons, but when he’s on the field, he’s been solid for an otherwise lackluster offense.
Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
Pick: 8 | 2027 option: $11.3 million
Robinson has been as advertised, if not better, as a playmaker. He led the league in yards from scrimmage in 2025 and is a threat any time he has the ball in his hands, whether it comes in the run game or through the air.
Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: 9 | 2027 option: $27.1 million
Carter is one of the most dominant players in the league and has the ability to change scripts for the opposing offense, both in the run game and the pass game. He was one of Philadelphia’s best players when it won the Super Bowl in the 2024 season and continued his elite play in 2025.
Darnell Wright, OT, Chicago Bears
Pick: 10 | 2027 option: $19.1 million
Chicago’s offensive line hasn’t always made headlines in recent years — for good reasons — but Wright’s presence has solidified the right side. Not only is he a good player, but he’s also proven to be durable, starting 16 games in each of the last two seasons after starting all 17 games as a rookie in 2023.
Peter Skoronski, OL, Tennessee Titans
Pick: 11 | 2027 option: $19.1 million
Wins have been hard to come by over the last few years for the Titans. But they drafted Cam Ward No. 1 in 2025, and having Skoronski in the interior of the offensive line is a positive for Ward’s development as Tennessee builds out the offense.
Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
Pick: 12 | 2027 option: $14.3 million
Gibbs has been the engine for the Lions’ offense. They’ll be relying on him even more after David Montgomery was traded to the Texans this offseason. Gibbs has made the Pro Bowl in each of his first three seasons and finished in the top-10 in voting for Offensive Player of the Year in 2023 and 2024. He’s amassed 3,580 yards on 675 carries, as well as 181 catches for 1,449 yards through the air for a total of 49 touchdowns.
Jahmyr Gibbs has been one of the league’s most productive backs since entering the NFL in 2023. (Michael Reaves / Getty Images)
Lukas Van Ness, LB, Green Bay Packers
Pick: 13 | 2027 option: $13.8 million
After playing 17 games in each of his first two seasons, Van Ness was limited to nine games last year and had career-low numbers across the board, including tackles, sacks and tackles for loss. The Packers have had a lot of changes to their defensive front over the past year, including the exits of Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary and the addition of Micah Parsons. How Van Ness fits into the new-look defense in 2026 could impact how long he ends up staying in Green Bay.
Will McDonald IV, DE, New York Jets
Pick: 15 | 2027 option: $13.8 million
McDonald came out of the gate slowly, tallying just three sacks and five quarterback hits as a rookie in 15 games. However, he’s been much more productive the past two seasons, averaging more than 20 QB hits per season and notching 10.5 sacks in 2024, followed by eight sacks in 2025.
Christian Gonzalez, CB, New England Patriots
Pick: 17 | 2027 option: $18.1 million
Gonzalez was limited to just four games as a rookie because of injuries, but he’s been one of the league’s best cornerbacks the past two seasons. The Patriots had trouble getting anything positive going in the Super Bowl this past season but Gonzalez was one of the few bright spots for the team.
Calijah Kancey, DT, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Pick: 19 | 2027 option: $14.5 million
Kancey made a noticeable jump from his rookie year in 2023 to his sophomore season, when he tallied 7.5 sacks. He’s an impact player when he’s on the field, but his 2025 season was mostly wiped out due to injury.
Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Pick: 21 | 2027 option: $18.0 million
Johnston provides a deep threat for Justin Herbert and has shown that potential through his first three years. He has a 50-plus-yard reception in each season but still deals with some inconsistencies game-to-game. The Chargers’ struggles on the offensive line in 2025 didn’t help the passing game, especially for a player of Johnston’s skill set, but he’s shown that he can be a long-term answer at receiver.
Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Pick: 22 | 2027 option: $27.3 million
Flowers has proven to be a great fit in Baltimore’s offense with Lamar Jackson. Even though Jackson dealt with injuries last year and the quarterback situation in Baltimore was tough, and Flowers surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for a second consecutive season. His speed and elusiveness allow the Ravens to use him in multiple ways.
Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
Pick: 23 | 2027 option: $18.0 million
Even Justin Jefferson struggled in 2025 with how bad the quarterback play was in Minnesota, but Addison has flashed potential and shown what he’s capable of doing. The addition of Kyler Murray could be a boost to the entire passing game.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
Pick: 25 | 2027 option: $8.2 million
Buffalo’s passing game has struggled due to a lack of formidable receiving targets at wide receiver, but adding DJ Moore this offseason should help. That should open things up more for Kincaid, who has seen his targets drop from 91 in 16 games as a rookie to 49 in 12 games last season.
Anton Harrison, OT, Jacksonville Jaguars
Pick: 27 | 2027 option: $19.1 million
Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne got a lot of shine for how well Jacksonville’s offense functioned last year, but Harrison has been a reliable piece up front who has helped make it all happen.
Bryan Bresee, DT, New Orleans Saints
Pick: 29 | 2027 option: $13.9 million
As the Saints begin to come out of the teardown phase of their rebuild, Bresee has shown enough promise along the interior of the defensive line to be a factor moving forward. Picking up the option gives the Saints some more time to judge his game and decide on a long-term extension.
Nolan Smith, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
Pick: 30 | 2027 option: $13.8 million
Smith really seemed to come into his own with a strong showing in a 2024 postseason in which he led the Eagles with four sacks and four tackles for loss in four playoff games, culminating in a Super Bowl title. Injuries took a toll on his 2025 season, but the Eagles are hoping he gets back on the promising trajectory.
Fifth-year option declinedTyree Wilson, DE, New Orleans Saints (traded from Las Vegas Raiders)
Pick: 7 | 2027 option: $14.5 million
Despite playing on a defensive line with Maxx Crosby, Wilson had trouble finding a groove in Las Vegas. The Raiders traded him to the New Orleans Saints during the draft. He has 12 sacks in 50 games over the past three seasons.
Tyree Wilson was shipped out by the Raiders for a fifth-round pick during last week’s draft. (Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Jack Campbell, LB, Detroit Lions
Pick: 18 | 2027 option: $21.9 million
Campbell picked a great time to have his breakout in 2025. He has been a solid player from the outset, playing in every game throughout all three seasons, including starting all 17 the past two years. In 2025, he earned his first Pro Bowl nod and was named first-team All-Pro. However, the option cost for a linebacker — driven up because it also includes edge rushers who are outside linebackers — is too high to make it viable.
Myles Murphy, DE, Cincinnati Bengals
Pick: 28 | 2027 option: $14.5 million
Murphy had his most productive year as a pro in 2025, starting 10 of the 17 games he played in and notching 5.5 sacks a year after he was blanked in that category. However, the Bengals defense was an atrocious mess, so it’s tough to draw conclusions based on that season.
To be decidedAnthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
Pick: 4 | 2027 option: $22.5 million
The Colts hoped that Richardson would be the solution to the quarterback problem that has plagued the team since Andrew Luck’s abrupt retirement in 2019. Instead, Richardson’s tenure has included subpar play, various injuries and negative headlines, including for taking himself out of a game in 2024 because he needed a “breather,” after which he was benched for Joe Flacco. Richardson is not with the team for OTAs after requesting a trade, and with the Colts having signed Daniel Jones to a two-year, $88 million extension, they are not expected to pick up Richardson’s option.
Broderick Jones, OT, Pittsburgh Steelers
Pick: 14 | 2027 option: $19.1 million
Jones isn’t very flashy and doesn’t make headlines, but good tackles are hard to come by, and he provides stability up front for the Steelers. He has become a mainstay starter for Pittsburgh since his rookie year.
Emmanuel Forbes, CB, Los Angeles Rams (picked up after being waived by Washington Commanders)
Pick: 16 | 2027 option: $12.6 million
Forbes had a rough start to his career, making headlines for underperformance, an ejection and injuries. The Commanders waived him in the middle of his second season. The Rams picked him up off waivers, and he had a good 2025 season, starting 14 games for Los Angeles and picking off three passes, which was more than the two he had in the previous two seasons.
Deonte Banks, CB, New York Giants
Pick: 24 | 2027 option: $12.6 million
Banks has failed to live up to expectations despite getting plenty of opportunities early on. He started 15 games as a rookie in 2023 and then 14 in 2024. He played in 16 games last season but started just six. He went from not playing a single special teams snap in 2024 to playing 39 percent of the special teams snaps last year, which is not what you’re looking for from a first-round pick in his third season.
Mazi Smith, DT, New York Jets (traded from Dallas Cowboys)
Pick: 26 | 2027 option: $13.9 million
The Cowboys had a glaring need at defensive tackle when they drafted Smith, so he got plenty of chances to prove his worth on the field. Instead, he became one of the worst draft picks for the team in recent history and was a throw-in in the Quinnen Williams trade last year.
Felix Anudike-Uzomah, DE, Kansas City Chiefs
Pick: 31 | 2027 option: $14.5 million
As the saying goes, availability is the best ability, and Anudike-Uzomah had his entire 2025 season wiped out due to injury. Even before that, he started just three games over his first two seasons and has only three sacks in 34 games.